Danilo Gallinari

HOUSTON — The gap between college basketball and the NBA actually is quantifiable. It measures 80 inches and about 225 pounds. Doug McDermott dominated at Creighton, a first-team All-American who led the nation in scoring (26.7 points per game) as a senior. Now, as a rookie with the Bulls, he plays only in practice. There are extenuating circumstances, of course. Wear and tear on McDermott's right knee required arthroscopic surgery Dec. 13. But he had fallen out of the rotation before the procedure, and he has played just two minutes since being activated Jan. 19. "It has been tough," McDermott said Friday, before the Bulls practiced in Houston and then flew to...

Related "Danilo Gallinari" Articles

HOUSTON — The gap between college basketball and the NBA actually is quantifiable. It measures 80 inches and about 225 pounds.
Doug McDermott dominated at Creighton, a first-team All-American who led the nation in scoring (26.7 points per game) as a...

(in predicted order of finish)
1. Spurs
2013-14: 62-20.
Coming: Kyle Anderson.
Going: No one of significance.
Despite all of their sustained success, the Spurs have never won back-to-back titles. In fact they never had reached the NBA Finals in...

Two screws, one foot, zero predictability.
The top of the NBA Draft looked like a sure thing to forecast a week ago (always a dangerous statement), the first few picks a simple lock until Joel Embiid unexpectedly underwent surgery for a stress fracture...

DENVER Step back for a clear view, and it's quite amazing how far and how fast the Denver Nuggets have fallen. I tried to think of a comparable tumble, but Tiger Woods still has 14 majors and perfect teeth. From the No. 3 seed in the Western...

The Lakers are well past the Save Our Season phase.
The losses stopped stinging them long ago, the feeling now merely a faint Monday morning headache.
If incentive is needed for their final four games, history can be dialed up after yet another loss,...

The Clippers did not hold a shoot-around Saturday, having decided their practice the previous day sufficed as preparation for the Denver Nuggets.
They probably didn't even need that.
The Clippers' practice at a recreation center in nearby Lakewood might...

The Clippers had to grind through Monday's game against the Denver Nuggets, grind through their own sluggish play for a majority of the night.
And like his teammates, Jamal Crawford had to grind through a tough shooting night — for three quarters. Then...

Lakers 111, Nuggets 103 (final)
With a triple-double, Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to an eight-point victory on Tuesday night in Denver against the Nuggets, ending a three-game losing streak.
Bryant scored 23 points with 11 rebounds and 11 assists in 31...

The Lakers (9-22) have lost three straight games to fall four back of the Nuggets (13-18), whom they'll visit in Denver on Tuesday night.
The two teams previously met in late November at Staples Center. Kobe Bryant scored 27 points and Jeremy Lin added...

The good news: the Clippers can defend -- as long as they feel like it.
The bad news -- they didn't feel like it for long enough in their 109-106 loss to the Nuggets on Friday night in Denver.
After trailing at halftime by 16 points, 59-43, the Clippers...

Two screws, one foot, zero predictability.
The top of the NBA draft looked like a sure thing to forecast a week ago (always a dangerous statement), the first few picks a simple lock until Joel Embiid unexpectedly underwent surgery for a stress fracture...

The Denver Nuggets cruised to an easy win at Staples Center on Sunday night, defeating the Lakers, 137-115.
The Lakers scored more than enough points to win an NBA game, but absolutely fell apart defensively. The Nuggets did a lot of damage from...

Here's what you need to know about Thursday's NBA draft: Nerlens Noel averaged 10.5 points as a Kentucky freshman until his season ended early because of a serious knee injury.
Now he's the likely No. 1 pick.
Noel still can't jump because of surgery for...